Whooping Cough Symptoms

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

What is whooping cough?

Whooping cough (also named pertussis) is a term that is used to describe the infectious disease caused by small Gram-negative bacteria named
Bordetella
pertussis. The term "whooping cough" is based on the characteristic noise made
as the person at the end of a coughing attack that sounds like a high-pitched
"whoop" as the person tries to suck in a breath. The disease is transferred from
person to person by bacteria-contaminated droplets formed during a coughing
spell; however, the disease may be prevented by vaccinations.

What are the symptoms of whooping cough?

Symptoms of whooping cough vary. Early in the infection, the symptoms
resemble those of a cold;

However, in contrast to a cold, the symptoms persist
and worsen over about one to two weeks. Mucus in the airways thickens, the
coughing becomes worse and may cause the person to
vomit, become extremely
fatigued and during the prolonged coughing spell, the person's face may become
discolored (reddish or bluish) due to coughing effort and the lack of good air
movement. The whooping sound occurs as the person tries to move a volume of air
through partially occluded airways. Not all people with whooping cough will
produce the whooping sound, but the vast majority of patients will have a
prolonged (about 2 to 3 weeks, with some as long as 10 weeks) hacking cough. Some infants may have a minimal cough, but some experience short
periods of apnea (no breathing).

Is there a vaccine for whooping cough?

Infants and toddlers are at the greatest risk for complications (ear and lung
infections, dehydration,
seizures,
brain damage, or death).
About 50% of children less than one year old need hospitalization if they are
infected with pertussis. The best way to
prevent babies from contracting this disease is by vaccination (at 2, 4, 6, and 15
to
18 months old, followed by a booster at about 4 to 6 years old).

Because immunity
wanes, another booster shot is recommended at age 11 and then every 10 years as
an adult. Pregnant women should get a pertussis vaccine shot at 20 weeks
gestation to protect their infant during its first few months of life.

People
that are vaccinated against whooping cough markedly reduce the chance of
transmitting the disease to others; especially to infants who may not have
developed a strong immunity to the disease.